Some Diehard Fans Shocked

Some Diehard Fans Shocked

Mustang owners take a deep breath: Are you really ready to welcome an SUV into the family 鈥?one that isn't even powered by gasoline? Sure, there's a little horse on the front and three-spiked taillights in back. But are details like that enough to qualify a new long-range electric SUV to carry a Mustang badge? It may not like what it hears. Worried about a recession? Steve Prewitt, president of the Mustang Club of America, who favors the new design. The alienation isn't just that it's an SUV or that it's powered by a battery. Rather, the rebellion may be mostly fueled by the number of doors - four instead of two - a slap in the face to those who believe a true-blue Mustang can only be a carefree, spirited coupe. Ford officials certainly went to lengths at the Mustang Mach-E's elaborate rollout to try to establish its credibility.

Bill Ford, the automaker's executive chairman. The new SUV had to drive like a Mustang, feel like one and tear up the test track like one. Ford, great-grandson of founder Henry Ford. The upscale Mach-E GT version's mid-three-second time will silently zoom from a stop to 60 mph. It will be Ford vs. Ferrari once again, with that acceleration time comparable to a Ferrari sports car, officials said. 60,000, according to Ford's reservation site. If the Tesla-like giant screen in the center stack wasn't enough of a hint as to Ford's aim, the automaker held its event next to Tesla's design headquarters in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. The Mustang name would give it instant recognizability. Beau Boeckmann, president of Galpin Motors in Los Angeles, long the world's top-selling Ford dealership. Checking his smartphone, he said he had received seven reservations for the SUV immediately after the webcast of the presentation. Ford decided then it would try to get more mileage out of its iconic names in order to stand out from the crowd, he said. But in a company brimming with Mustang diehards, he said the SUV had to live up to the name. The suspension was tuned to feel like a Mustang.

Grab some of the pony-car attitude and affordability of the Ford Mustang. Put it into a fully electric vehicle that channels some of what makes the Tesla Model 3 Performance so much in demand, versus other EVs. Support it and nurture it. That鈥檚 around the same time that Volkswagen鈥檚 first MEB vehicle, the compact crossover based on the ID Crozz, will go on sale in the U.S. No such torrents of information have come from Ford. And yet, despite continued rumors about Ford tapping into Volkswagen鈥檚 MEB toolkit, Ford is forging ahead with its own dedicated, scalable electric vehicle platform. In 2017 Ford formally started the development path that resulted in a focused electric-vehicle team鈥攃alled Team Edison鈥攁t Ford鈥檚 Corktown facility, in Detroit. The Team is responsible for helping conceive the electric vehicle and then guide it all the way through production, delivery, and support鈥攁nd work with engineering and traditional vehicle development channels at Ford鈥檚 鈥渃ore鈥?in Dearborn. Last month, at CES, we caught up with Darren Palmer, the product development global director for battery-electric cars at Ford Motor Company, to get a feel for how the project is shaping up.

Palmer leads Team Edison and thus the program, reporting to Ted Cannis, Ford鈥檚 global director for electrification. Prior to this, Palmer has worked on the soon-to-be-released Mustang Hybrid鈥攁nd on the upcoming hybrid versions of the Lincoln Aviator and Ford Explorer. He鈥檚 been at Ford for 28 years, and in his previous job oversaw production facilities on five continents and engineering teams on four. In person, Palmer sounds eager and energetic鈥攖he right personality for a project that must, at times, include questioning of the status quo. The all-new platform and a 300-mile range have been among the talking points from Ford executives all along. Although we don鈥檛 have much information yet on the car itself鈥攄imensions, layout, battery type, that sort of thing鈥攚e managed to glean a set of key points from Palmer. Not a minor niche vehicle. 鈥淔ord democratizes technology for the mass market,鈥?said Palmer. Mustang-inspired. Confirming earlier reports and teasers, Palmer says that the first electric vehicle will be a performance-themed SUV or crossover, inspired by Mustang. 鈥淚 thought Mustang meant V-8, but Mustang actually means freedom,鈥?said Palmer, who added that the electric vehicle, like the Mustang will be sexy.

鈥淚t鈥檚 got power, but it鈥檚 more what it makes you feel like. Mustang sets the bar for performance. Wondering how quick the crossover will be? Just look at what the Mustang is capable of today, Palmer says, with an intentional pause. They鈥檙e not so hot at sustained high speed, he hints, but from stoplights the crossover will have some of the 鈥楽tang鈥檚 spirit. It will have rear- and all-wheel drive. In electric vehicles, you have the opportunity to provide four wheel drive with reasonable engineering and cost. So it can be an advantage. 鈥淭he performance will be aspirational,鈥?said Palmer. Mainstream pricing. 鈥淭he forefront in our mind is bringing this to a greater number of people,鈥?said Palmer. 鈥淔irst it鈥檚 aspirational, you want it; second, 鈥榃ow, I can afford that if I want it! 鈥欌€?It will land in a market spot that up until now has lacked electric vehicles that are aspirational, he said, which again parallels the Mustang.